The Shape of Home:
The Shape of Home: July 14-31 in the Red Barn Theatre (Eddie Hotel & Farm, Prince Edward County) adaptation/amalgamation of three Shakespeare plays (Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 and Henry V), tracing the journey of Prince Hal from wild party animal to responsible king. Set against the backdrop of a contemporary piano bar, this musical version of Henry’s story includes seven original songs, with lyrics by Germaine Konji (2020 Musical Stage Company Banks Prize) and music by Kelsi James (who wrote the wonderful music for Driftwood’s pre-pandemic A (Musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream). What intrigues me, as well, about this new production is that it will be performed by a cast of only five performers, including Hume Baugh and Richard Alan Campbell, and directed by Driftwood’s artistic director, D Jeremy Smith. For more information and where to find performances please see: www.driftwoodtheatre.com/see/bardbustour/ & Juliet: the new musical & Juliet,which has taken London’s West End by storm is arriving to make its North American debut (and the beginning of the journey to Broadway) with a run at the Princess of Wales Theatre in downtown Toronto, June 22 to August 14. This, of course, is not a play written by Shakespeare but is inspired by his Romeo and Juliet and by the question, “What if Juliet didn’t die, but went on to find a new life for herself and a second chance at love, instead?” The brainchild of Emmy-winning, Toronto-born book writer, David West Read (best known for Schitt’s Creek), the story of & Juliet is interwoven with 30 iconic pop standards, all from the catalogue of five-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer Max Martin and his collaborators. The creators promise to whisk us off on a fabulous multi-generational journey as Juliet takes the chance of remaking her life while singing a playlist of pop anthems such as Since U Been Gone, . . .Baby One More Time and Can’t Stop The Feeling. The book and the use of the songs within the plot have been praised to the rafters by the UK press, and the show sounds like a fun, up-tempo extravaganza of alternate-Shakespeare. www.mirvish.com Summer Music We don’t usually think of the summer as a time of new creation except in the context of fringe festivals. The landscape, however, is changing. There is, of course, the excitement of the return to live performance and the urge to share new ideas and new creations with live audiences, and to get feedback in real time. Perhaps, too, it is a sign of Canada’s growing identity as a launching pad for the creation and development of new musicals. Here are two of the world premieres launching in Ontario this summer: Festival Players: The Shape Of Home: Songs in Search of Al Purdy Up (or is it down?) in Prince Edward County, the Festival Players, led by their artistic director (since 2018), Graham Abbey, and their managing director, Vikki Anderson, have a dream to create a nationally recognized performance hub and cultural destination in PEC. In pursuit of this dream, and as a cornerstone to their ambitious 2022 season, is the commissioning and creation of a new theatrical song cycle: The Shape of Home: Songs in Search of Al Purdy. Just as the specificity of Fatuma Adar’s new musical Dixon Road makes it universally accessible, The Shape of Home also is rooted in a specific time and place – Prince Edward County during the life of “unofficial Canadian poet laureate” Al Purdy, and the demanding questions he explored in his poetry. A fabulous team of music theatre performers and innovators, led by performer/curator Hailey Gillis Al Purdy and director/performer Frank Cox-O’Connell, including Radha Javanfar, Beau Dixon, Andrew Penner and Marni Jackson. Prompted by Purdy’s question, “What the hell do we do with this brief little life of ours?” they have taken Purdy’s unconventional poems and turned them into songs. The world premiere of this first iteration of the theatrical song cycle will feature 20 original songs that the company describe as not just a tribute to an iconoclastic poet but a “musical call to action; an adamant prompt to live fully, to love deeply, to challenge actively and to seek beauty everywhere”. July 14-31, Festival Players Pavilion. www.festivalplayers.ca Eclipse Theatre Company: ‘Til Then: Eclipse Theatre Company is asking some of the same questions with the world premiere of their original Canadian song cycle: ‘Til Then, at the unconventional Berkeley Church event space on Toronto’s Queen Street East. The questions are equally universal but focused on a more recent past, specifically the last two and a half years of living through a pandemic, and how that has changed us – what questions it has made us ask ourselves. From the ‘Til Then trailer: Jeff Madden, Elena Juatco, and Kimmy Troung singing the title song. Eclipse artistic director, Andrew Seok commissioned 18 new songs from 24 different writers: a wonderful cross section of Canadian talent from Susan Aglukark to Richard Ouzounian, from Leslie Arden to Britta Johnson to Chantal Kreviazuk and more. Seok then took the songs that arrived and out of them built three stories, writing the dialogue, and working with choreographer Nickeshia Garrick to tie the events and stories together. A cast of five including Garrick with Jeff Madden, Elena Juatco, Sera-Lys McArthur and Kimberly-Ann Truong, perform the cycle directed by Seok, who describes the show as “a celebration of Canadian musical theatre as well as a reflection of our times.” July 17-20. www.eclipsetheatre.ca Oh, and check out the musical offerings at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival to see what other new musicals are taking their first steps this summer. www.fringetoronto.com Jennifer Parr is a Toronto-based director, dramaturge, fight director and acting coach, brought up from a young age on a rich mix of musicals, Shakespeare and new Canadian plays. COURTESY TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY 16 | July 1 - September 20, 2022 thewholenote.com
L ve Music is back! RUNNING FROM JULY 9-15, 2022 The Collingwood Music Festival brings exceptional performances to Collingwood each summer, featuring award-winning artists in the fields of classical, world, jazz and Indigenous genres. Tickets & Info: COLLINGWOODFESTIVAL.COM | (705) 416-1317 FREE YOUTH EVENTS Sat, July 9 at Duntroon Highland Golf Club SYMPHONY Fall in love with live music again CITY IN THE June 28 - August 23, 8pm LIVE CONCERTS BY THE LAKE / WEEKLY SPECIAL GUESTS / DINNER & VIP PACKAGES / CURATED CLASSICAL+ MUSIC MAESTRO’S MOVIES Tuesday, June 28 FALL IN LOVE AGAIN Tuesday, July 5 ELTON ROHN Tuesday, July 12 QUARTETTO GELATO Tuesday, July 19 ANONYMOUS LOVER Wednesday, July 27 LA VIE EN ROSE Tuesday, August 2 THE BLACK FISH PROJECT Tuesday, August 9 GATSBY Tuesday, August 16 FROM THE NEW WORLD Tuesday, August 23 TCOMUSIC.CA thewholenote.com July 1 - September 20, 2022 | 17
